Humans Welcome runners arrive in Brussels after 3,000 km trip

Belgium

20:30 16/04/2017

Runners from the Humans Welcome project on Sunday afternoon arrived in Brussels after travelling nearly 3,000 km from the Greek island of Lesbos. The runners departed on 5 April from the refugee camp of Moria and ran daily until they reached the European Parliament.

The runners followed the same Balkan route used by refugees entering Europe via Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and, finally, Belgium. Their goal is to move European politicians to adopt a more humane asylum policy. In the last seven kilometres of their journey, the runners were accompanied by dozens of supporters.

Along the way, the Humans Welcome runners stopped in refugee camps, including one in Vottem, a town in the Belgian province of Liège. The runners also laid down life jackets in front of Belgian prime minister Charles Michel's residence in Wavre, to symbolise those who have made the dangerous crossing into Europe.